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Perceptions of Canadian Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, and Radiation Trainees about the Feasibility and Need of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in Canada: A National Survey

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Technological advancements in accelerator-based neutron sources have allowed for a more accessible and feasible study of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Accelerator-based BNCT centers are being developed world-wide, and recent research is showing the potential in treating cance...

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Autores principales: Al-Bader, Al-Retage, Agapito, John, Pan, Ming
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10377324/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37509287
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers15143626
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author Al-Bader, Al-Retage
Agapito, John
Pan, Ming
author_facet Al-Bader, Al-Retage
Agapito, John
Pan, Ming
author_sort Al-Bader, Al-Retage
collection PubMed
description SIMPLE SUMMARY: Technological advancements in accelerator-based neutron sources have allowed for a more accessible and feasible study of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Accelerator-based BNCT centers are being developed world-wide, and recent research is showing the potential in treating cancers. There are ongoing efforts to initiate Canadian contributions to BNCT research and the development of a Canadian center. We surveyed radiation oncologists and medical physicists in Canada to study their perception, understanding, and support for BNCT. The results of this survey guide Canadian contributions by identifying knowledge gaps and collaborative opportunities that support the success of this innovative cancer treatment in Canada. ABSTRACT: Background: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an emerging radiotherapy. There are ongoing efforts to develop a Canadian accelerator-based BNCT center. However, it remains unclear how Canadian radiation oncologists (RO), medical physicists (MP), and their trainees perceive BNCT and its impact on radiation oncology as a discipline. Methods: A survey was created to explore the knowledge of BNCT, its clinical role, and the support for Canadian research. It was distributed through the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) and the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP). Results: We received 118 valid responses from all 10 provinces, from 70 RO (59.3%) and 48 MP (40.7%), including 9 residents. Most knew of BNCT and its indications (60.2%). Although many were unaware of the reasons behind early failures (44.1%), common reasons were a lack of clinical trials and an inaccessibility of neutron sources (42.4%) as well as reactor unsuitability (34.7%). Additionally, 90.6% showed definite (66.9%) or possible (23.7%) support for Canadian BNCT research, while 89% indicated a definite (56.8%) or possible (32.2%) willingness for BNCT referrals. Conclusions: Most ROs and MPs supported Canadian BNCT research and would refer patients. However, limited awareness and a lack of experiences remain a challenge. Educational sessions are needed to realize this innovative cancer treatment in Canada.
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spelling pubmed-103773242023-07-29 Perceptions of Canadian Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, and Radiation Trainees about the Feasibility and Need of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in Canada: A National Survey Al-Bader, Al-Retage Agapito, John Pan, Ming Cancers (Basel) Article SIMPLE SUMMARY: Technological advancements in accelerator-based neutron sources have allowed for a more accessible and feasible study of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Accelerator-based BNCT centers are being developed world-wide, and recent research is showing the potential in treating cancers. There are ongoing efforts to initiate Canadian contributions to BNCT research and the development of a Canadian center. We surveyed radiation oncologists and medical physicists in Canada to study their perception, understanding, and support for BNCT. The results of this survey guide Canadian contributions by identifying knowledge gaps and collaborative opportunities that support the success of this innovative cancer treatment in Canada. ABSTRACT: Background: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an emerging radiotherapy. There are ongoing efforts to develop a Canadian accelerator-based BNCT center. However, it remains unclear how Canadian radiation oncologists (RO), medical physicists (MP), and their trainees perceive BNCT and its impact on radiation oncology as a discipline. Methods: A survey was created to explore the knowledge of BNCT, its clinical role, and the support for Canadian research. It was distributed through the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) and the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists (COMP). Results: We received 118 valid responses from all 10 provinces, from 70 RO (59.3%) and 48 MP (40.7%), including 9 residents. Most knew of BNCT and its indications (60.2%). Although many were unaware of the reasons behind early failures (44.1%), common reasons were a lack of clinical trials and an inaccessibility of neutron sources (42.4%) as well as reactor unsuitability (34.7%). Additionally, 90.6% showed definite (66.9%) or possible (23.7%) support for Canadian BNCT research, while 89% indicated a definite (56.8%) or possible (32.2%) willingness for BNCT referrals. Conclusions: Most ROs and MPs supported Canadian BNCT research and would refer patients. However, limited awareness and a lack of experiences remain a challenge. Educational sessions are needed to realize this innovative cancer treatment in Canada. MDPI 2023-07-14 /pmc/articles/PMC10377324/ /pubmed/37509287 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers15143626 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Al-Bader, Al-Retage
Agapito, John
Pan, Ming
Perceptions of Canadian Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, and Radiation Trainees about the Feasibility and Need of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in Canada: A National Survey
title Perceptions of Canadian Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, and Radiation Trainees about the Feasibility and Need of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in Canada: A National Survey
title_full Perceptions of Canadian Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, and Radiation Trainees about the Feasibility and Need of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in Canada: A National Survey
title_fullStr Perceptions of Canadian Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, and Radiation Trainees about the Feasibility and Need of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in Canada: A National Survey
title_full_unstemmed Perceptions of Canadian Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, and Radiation Trainees about the Feasibility and Need of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in Canada: A National Survey
title_short Perceptions of Canadian Radiation Oncologists, Medical Physicists, and Radiation Trainees about the Feasibility and Need of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in Canada: A National Survey
title_sort perceptions of canadian radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiation trainees about the feasibility and need of boron neutron capture therapy (bnct) in canada: a national survey
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10377324/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37509287
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers15143626
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